Immunity on Trial reveals in a breathtaking way how the court systems are leveraged by Ethiopian citizens to challenge the overbearing influences of multinational corporations. Driessen goes against the grain of the prevailing narrative that touts the African judiciary as weak by compellingly showing how the court systems assert independence through landmark cases. The book is intellectually stimulating, ethnographically rich, and refreshingly unique in its approach to the anthropological study of Africa.--Omolade Adunbi, author of Enclaves of Exception: Special Economic Zones and Extractive Practices in Nigeria Miriam Driessen brilliantly demonstrates that immunity is a key concept for understanding contemporary global hierarchies. Immunity on Trial describes the construction of states of exception in which some have vastly different rights than others. This book's depiction of people struggling for dignity in the face of global inequality is a major contribution to studies of Chinese-African relations.--Daniel Mains, author of Under Construction: Technologies of Development in Urban Ethiopia Immunity on Trial is not only a fascinating study of Ethiopia's local courts but also an ambitious examination of the social and political challenges ushered in by China's unprecedented investments across Africa. The book provides a window for a clear look at the local manifestations of the global transformations in what has been dubbed the Chinese Century.--Kwai Hang Ng, coauthor of Embedded Courts: Judicial Decision-Making in China